Osteopenia

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shortie Posted: Wed, May 20 2009 9:47 AM

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Morning to all!

I had a bone density last week and got the results from my gyn that I have Osteopenia which is a condition not a disease but she is concerned and wants to meet with me. 

How many women on this board have this condition and what are you doing about it?

Mine is mild as my readings are very close to normal which is a -1.0  ( my hip was -1.1 and my lumbar scan was a -1.9 ).......I understand that metformin can drain the bones of calcium?  I wonder if I should cut down on the prescription because I am on the 1000 a day 2X a day and have added Actos to the picture a few years ago.  Doctors never cut down on meds when then add a new one , do they?  Also I have read on the internet that this is debatable as to whether women should be treated for osteopenia because some women just have less dense bones to begin with?

Thanks for your advice.

shortie a.k. a.  osteopenia lady

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Ron AKA replied on Wed, May 20 2009 10:05 AM

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On a quick look, I did not find any evidence that metformin causes calcium loss. WebMD suggests the following:

"Risk factors include:

• Being white (Caucasian) or, to a lesser degree, being Asian.
• A family history of osteoporosis.
• Being thin.
• Long-term use of corticosteroids, such as prednisone or hydrocortisone for inflammatory conditions, or anticonvulsants, such as carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenytoin (Dilantin), or gabapentin (Neurontin) for pain or seizures.
• Eating disorders or diseases that affect the absorption of nutrients from food.
• Being inactive or bedridden for a long period of time.
• Smoking.
• Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.
• Having a diet low in calcium or vitamin D. "

I have seen other sources say excessive salt and caffeine may cause loss of calcium as well. Unfortunately for many women, they have not had enough calcium in the years up to age 30 where they are still increasing bone density, and after 30 it is normal to start losing bone density for the rest of your life.

Obviously you need to discuss with your doctor, but for now I would suggest you make sure you are getting enough calcium (Tums are an excellent source if one extra strength is taken with each meal), and you also try to do weight lifting exercises to strengthen the bones.

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Spirit replied on Wed, May 20 2009 10:21 AM

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Shortie:  Ten years ago I went through menopause.  I declined HRT (this was even before it hit the news big time) and my doctor was okay with that, but suggested a bone density test since that is a concern with postM women.  My results showed osteopenia, too.  I have thin (meaning tiny) bones and I am at normal weight, so those are indicators.  I took Fosamax, had the test redone in two years and the second test showed completely normal bone mass.  I had a third bone density done a couple of years ago.  Still normal, so doctor took me off Fosamax.  I was not on any neds at the time, so I can't give you any first hand info there. 

From my perspective, I am glad that I took the Fosamax.  Osteopenia isn't a disease, but I feel that dense bones are better than thinner bones as I enter my 60's.  I was always a big milk drinker all my life, so I don't think extra calcium would have done the trick.  Fosamax and related meds are not given indefinitely, according to my doctor, just until results are certain. 

Spirit

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shortie replied on Sat, May 23 2009 7:33 AM

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Ron, thanks.

Wonder why your list did not include menopause?

I read somewhere that Actos can cause bone loss.  I do believe that it is a controversy and I will know more when I visit my gyn in June.  This was an interesting article I found.  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/465736     It irritates me that so little is know about this.

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zrebiec replied on Wed, May 27 2009 1:43 PM

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If you google it, I think that you will find studies that suggest thiazolidinediones (like Actos) may be a cause for bone loss.

John Zrebiec, MSW, CDE

Joslin Moderator

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shortie replied on Fri, May 29 2009 10:20 AM

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Thanks John for the post.  I did google it (Actos and bone loss) and found http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20071203/new-diaberes-drugs-bad-for-bone   and wonder why it does not also happen in men?

Actos is what is keeping my diabetes under control right now......I need it.  I always thought in my mind that it was metformin that did the bone loss, I had googled that.